SECONTRADE welcomes the Austrian Master Plan for Raw Materials until 2030 – Acceleration of trade in secondary raw materials of all kinds means active climate protection
SECONTRADE celebrates its fourth anniversary as an online trading platform for secondary raw materials. The achievements are remarkable: to date, around 35,000 tonnes of valuable secondary raw materials have been traded by more than 200 certified traders in 24 countries. SECONTRADE is therefore not only actively contributing to achieving the goals of the European Green Deal – to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 – but also relieving the tense raw materials market.
SECONTRADE welcomes the Austrian Master Plan for Raw Materials until 2030
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism has currently developed a “Raw Materials Master Plan 2030” to ensure a comprehensive supply of primary and secondary raw materials in Austria. Secondary raw materials represent an essential part of the supply. This opens the way to a sustainable and circular use of valuable raw materials in terms of environmental protection and for the manufacturing industry. Brigitte Reich, Managing Director of SECONTRADE, comments: “If you look at the whole picture, you realise that there is no way around the circular economy. It is absolutely vital both for achieving the ambitious climate goals and for reducing the consumption of primary raw materials. We therefore also support concrete proposals that aim at binding quotas for the use of material-specific secondary raw materials in production. After all,” Reich continues, “this strengthens the market for recyclates and has a positive effect on the greenhouse gas balance. The raw materials gained through recycling in Austria have a supporting role in supplying the responsibly producing industry.“
For instance, aluminium on the way to climate neutrality: recycling saves up to 95 % energy
Reich mentions aluminium as a good example of the importance of the circular economy as a sustainable resource management. After all, three quarters of all the aluminium produced since the beginning of industrial production is still in use. Aluminium is ideally suited for recycling: about half of Europe’s production comes from the circular economy. The energy savings and thus the contribution to achieving climate goals are enormous: recycling aluminium saves up to 95 % of the energy that would be needed for new production.
Acceleration of trade in secondary raw materials of all kinds
“The SECONTRADE online platform brings certified buyers and sellers of any secondary raw materials together quickly and directly, which further accelerates the reuse of secondary raw materials and leads to additional savings of CO2 and valuable energy,” says Brigitte Reich. In addition, local networks for niche products would also be developed. Reich still sees significant development potential here and also offers a concrete marketing opportunity for these with the SECONTRADE platform.
